Tutoring & Academics · demo dispatch
Fractions for shop and GED math
Sam Okonkwo · 40 minutes · beginner · free · 1 proofs · 0 saves · 1 reactions
Halves, quarters, and eighths on a tape measure, then the same fractions on a GED-style problem. One idea, two places it shows up.
fractions · ged · math · tape-measure
Tools and materials
- A tape measure
- Paper
- A pencil you will actually use
Steps
1. Read the tape
The longest mark is the inch. The next splits it in half, then quarters, then eighths. Say the mark out loud: three-eighths, not the little line.
2. Add with a common denominator
1/2 plus 1/8 is 4/8 plus 1/8. Convert, then add the tops. The bottom stays.
3. Check it on the tape
Mark 1/2, add 1/8, and see if you land on 5/8. If the pencil and the fraction disagree, the fraction is the thing to redo.
Safety
This is practice, not a test voucher and not a promise about an exam. A knife used as a pointer is a bad habit. Use the pencil.
Common mistakes
- Adding the bottoms together
- Guessing the mark between the numbers
Sixteenths are the same lesson with one more split. Stay with eighths until they are boring.
Proofs
Marked 1/2, added 1/8, landed on 5/8 on the tape. Wrote the common-denominator step beside it.